Many of us would like to provide help for elderly in our communities, especially during the holiday season. Are you wondering how you can help?
Elves for Elders is a great project, put together by various eldercare professionals in the Tampa Bay area and organized through Better Living for Seniors (BLS) in Pinellas County. Elves for Elders® is a program originally created by Aging Solutions, Inc.: the Office of the Public Guardian for Hillsborough, Pinellas, Brevard, Manatee, and Pasco counties. BLS members help Aging Solutions, Inc. provide gifts for its wards in Pinellas County, as well as providing gifts for additional needy elders submitted by senior services professionals.
Our Aging Wisely and EasyLiving teams first participated with the Elves for Elders project in Tampa many years ago. The project expanded to Pinellas County several years ago and our team has contributed in many ways, from adopting elders to assisting with organizing and promoting. We enjoy the opportunity to provide help for elderly residents of the Tampa Bay area and hope you might consider participating too!
The process for providing help for elderly gift recipients in Pinellas County is as follows:
- Pick up a gift tag from one of the trees at various locations throughout Pinellas County, from November 1st through December 1st.
- Shop for the items on the gift tag.
- Return the unwrapped gifts to a drop-off location by December 5th. Our office at 1180 Ponce de Leon Blvd., suite 701 in Clearwater is a drop-off location and we’d love for you to stop by for a visit!
- The BLS (Better Living for Seniors) elves organize the various gifts, adding small items to each gift bag to make a complete gift package.
- Around mid-December, the senior professional who submitted the elder’s name to Elves for Elders picks up the gifts in order to have plenty of time for delivery.
- You have put a smile on an elder’s face and been a true giving elf this holiday season! These elders (and the senior service professionals who know their needs) often ask for simple items, such as socks, underwear and clothing. They may want some puzzle books or a favorite team’s baseball hat…simple treats that can make their lives so much better when they’d often be forgotten this holiday season.
Thanks for considering providing help for elderly in our community this holiday season! This grassroots effort has done amazing things for elders with limited resources. To read more details, go to the Elves for Elders of Pinellas County site.
Know of other great programs providing help for elderly in your community? Share them with us here or on our caregiver community on Facebook and we’ll help spread the word!
